Oat-cutter



UNirn' Srarans arnivr Prion.

- JOHN ADERSON LAVS, OF LAWS, TEXAS.

. OAT-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,059, dated November10, 1891.

Application filed February 18, 1891. Serial No. 381,776. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN ADERSON Laws, a citizen of the United States,residing at Laws, in the county of Franklin and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Oat-Cutters; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in straw and hay cutters designedespecially for use in cutting sheaf oats; and it consists in thepeculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fullyset forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple, and efficientmachine for cutting sheaf oats, which is adapted to be easily operatedand is not likely to get out of order;

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved strawcutter. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinalsectional view of the same. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on theline or: a: of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views.

A represents a pair of standards provided on their inner sides with thevertical guideways or grooves B. A cross-bar or sill C connects thelower ends of the standards, the ends of the sill being tenoned andfitted into thelower ends of the grooves, and screws or bolts D passthrough the lower portions of the standards and enter the ends of thesill, thereby firmly securing the latter in place between the standards.The upper ends of the standards are fitted in vertical grooves E, madenear the ends of a horizontal cross-beam F, which is arranged on therearsides of the standards and connects their upper ends. Bolts or screws Gare employed to secure the beam to the standards, as shown. On thecentral portion of the beam is fitted the front end of the box or troughH, the bottom of which is sunk in a rabbet made in the upper side of thebeam, and screws I pass through the bottom of the box or trough andenter the beam to secure the box or trough thereto. One side of the boxor trough is provided at its front end with a vertical extension K, andan inclined cross-bar L connects the sides of the box at its front end,the said cross-bar being on the upper edge of one side of the box and onthe vertical extension of the other side. A plate M, made of steel oriron, is arranged on the face or front end of the box and extends downpartly over the beam and is secured to the latter by screws N. The sideedges of the plate are turned back at right angles and bear against thesides of the box or trough and are secured thereto by screws 0. Theplate serves as a sheath for the front end of the box and has an openingP at the end of the box, the lower side of the opening being horizontaland the upper side thereof being inclined, as shown. The rear end of thebox is supported by a pair of legs R, the upper ends of which bearagainst the sides of the box and are secured thereto by screws. Across-bar S connects the legs R and is arranged directly under the rearend of the box, the ends of the bar being mortised in the legs andsecured to them by screws. Near their lower ends the legs are connectedtogether by a bar T, the ends of which are sunk. in the legs and alsosecured by screws.

V represents the knife-frame, which consists of the pair of verticalside pieces WV,having flanges X, which travel and fit in the grooves Bof the vertical standards, and crossbars Y Z, which connect said sidepieces near their centers and lower ends, respectively. The ends of thesaid cross-bars are rabbeted in the side pieces and secured by screws orother suitable means. A metallic strap A connects the central portionsof the cross-bars, its lower end being secured to the lower bar Z by ascrew and its upperend beingsecured to the upper bar by a pin or bolt13', which serves also as the fulcrum for the lever C. The short end ofthe lever is pivotally connected to a link D by a pin or bolt E, thelower end of said link being pivoted to the lower portion of one of thevertical standards by apin or bolt F. raising and lowering theknife-frame, as will be readily understood. The knife G is arranged inan inclined position on the inner sides of the side pieces W near theirupper ends and is on the same angle as and paral-' lel with the inclinedupper side of the plate M. Inclined seats H are made in the inner sidesof the side pieces for the knife, and the The lever serves the purposeof latter is hence adjusted obliquely as well as being inclined, thusbringing the cuttingedge of the knife directly in contact with theplate, thereby greatly reducing friction and also obviatingexcessiveWear on the knife and plate incident to friction. The ends of the knifeare turned forward at right angles and arranged in recesses I in theside pieces of the frame.

In the operation of my invention the inclined position of the knife andthe upper edge of the plate cause the straw to be forced laterally toone side or corner of the box and compressed and held rigid under theaction of the knife, thereby enabling the latter to make a shear cut andvery much enhancing the efficiency of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a straw-cutter, the combination of the feed-box provided at itsface With the plate having the inclined upper edge and thevertically-moving frame having the knife, the latter being arranged inan inclined position parallel with the upper edge of the plate and beingfurther arranged obliquely laterally, whereby only the cutting-edge ofthe knife is in contact with the plate, substantially as described.

2. In a strawcutter, the combination, with the feed-box provided at oneend with a feedopening, of a vertically-movinginclined knife arrangedobliquely to the face of the feedbox, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

3. In a straw-cutter, the combination, with the feed-box provided at oneend with a feedopening, of the vertically-moving frame, the inclinedknife carried by the latter and arranged obliquely with relation to thefeedopening, and means for operating the knife, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ADERSON LAWVS.

Witnesses:

JOHN SELVLDGE RAMSEY, HENRY LOUIS Morn.

